All for sports!

Most parents run into the same kind of problem when it comes to developing healthy eating choices in our kids. No kids or adults like to opt for healthy food when it comes to making an independent choice of selecting between the junk food like fries, soda etc. or healthy food like salads, fruits etc.

The only reason we, as adults think about eating healthy food is because of the consequences that have been made known to us – either by the doctor or our own body. But eating and living a healthy lifestyle helps immensely if it is developed right from our childhood. So as responsible parents, it becomes imperative for us to ensure that our kids make the right decision when it comes to choosing food. But how do we do this?

Here are 5 simple ways:

1. Get your kids involved: It is more likely that kids will stick to eating healthy food if they are involved in the kitchen activities, like planning meals, cooking or preparing the grocery list.
It not only gives them a sense of ownership but also makes them inclined to favor their own choices.

2. Healthy Snacks: Ensure that your refrigerator is stocked up with loads of healthy snacks options so that rather than going for a quick fix approach of eating junk food, you can always call upon healthy options when you are facing crunch-time. Also ensure that you keep these options available in your car or bag – so even if you are on the go and kids are hungry, you can immediately provide them with a healthy option. Good options can include carrots, apple, oranges, raisins, dry fruits, whole grain crackers, water etc.

3. Make them aware of the source: More often than not, in today’s busy world where time is of the essence, we do our grocery shopping from the supermarkets. Rather than that, it is helpful if we can take our kids on weekends directly to the source of food items like farms or involving them in fun activities of picking berries from the nature or take them to the local farmers market where they can learn from the people who directly grow these vegetables or fruits. If we teach them where these foods come from, it can help them understand the importance of eating healthy.

4. Substitute eating options with delicious drinks: We tend to think that eating fruits and vegetables daily is the only option available to us. But we forget that we can always substitute eating options with healthy drinks like fruit smoothies or vegetables juices for our kids in order to ensure the daily dose as well as have variety for our kids.

5. Set an example: Kids learn from their parents the most – and are very quick in picking up habits from what they see. So if you have been eating fries and junk food on a regular basis, more likely than not, your kid will also end up developing the same habit. It is important that we remember that it is good to incorporate these healthy eating habits in us so that our kids can be encouraged to try out salads, smoothies etc.

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